Celebrity Cruises plans to run four ships from three Florida homeports for the winter 2024-2025 cruising season, offering guests some exciting new expanded Caribbean itineraries, including a Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans and CocoCay private island visits.
A Quartet of Ships in a Trio of Florida Ports
Celebrity Cruises has announced that for winter 2024-2025, the cruise line will be adding four ships to its Caribbean-based fleet: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Summit, and Celebrity Equinox.
The trio of ports these ships will be operating out of include Port Everglades in the south, Port Tampa Bay along the western shores of the state, and Port Canaveral in Central Florida – the first time the cruise line has homeported from what is now the world’s busiest cruise port.
“As part of this expansion, we are thrilled to add Port Canaveral to our list of home ports – it is a perfect market to reach a wide mix of both in- and out-of-state travelers looking for fun in the Caribbean sun,” said Laura Hodges Bethge, Celebrity Cruise President.
The company plans to launch 40+ new itineraries with these new deployments, which will open for booking on August 22, 2023, giving potential guests an array of Caribbean-themed travel options.
Port Everglades Ships and New Itineraries
The Edge-class, 129,500-ton Celebrity Apex, built in 2020 and with a capacity of 2,910 passengers, along with the older and smaller 91,000-ton, 11-deck Celebrity Summit, built in 2001, will be sailing out of Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades from late October 2024 through early March 2025.
During their winter sojourn in the Caribbean, Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Summit will head out for 6-7 nights at a time, hitting popular holidays spots like St. Maarten, San Juan (the capital of Puerto Rico), as well as the British Overseas Territory of Grand Cayman, and the ever-popular Mexico.
From February 25 to April 10, 2025, Celebrity Summit will also embark on 5- to 9-night itineraries in both the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
“As one of Celebrity Cruises’ homeports, we are excited about the new sailings on Apex and Summit. In addition to the line’s ‘resort at sea’ experience, their cruise guests can expect to experience unrivaled customer service and ease of sailing at Port Everglades,” said Jonathan Daniels, Port Everglades CEO and Director.
Furthermore, Perfect Day at CocoCay private island trips will be thrown into the mix. With options for all including ziplines, balloon rides, and waterslides, visitors can enjoy pristine shores, the Bahamas’ largest freshwater pool, the cool vibes of the Coco Beach Club, overwater cabanas, and so much more.
Come January 2024, an adults-only haven will be offered at CocoCay as well, offering adults some new food options and exclusive private cabanas away from the youngsters.
Port Tampa and Port Canaveral Bay Ships and Itineraries
Celebrity Cruises is also set to enhance its existing Caribbean trips departing from Port Tampa Bay with 6- and 7-night voyages aboard the 90,940-ton Premium class Celebrity Constellation, which was built in 2002 and refurbished in 2013.
Four novel routes out of Tampa will be available, encompassing a grand total of 14 voyages, commencing in early January 2025 and running until April 6, 2025.
These new Celebrity Constellation routes will visit locales like Belize, Honduras, Mexico, and New Orleans, with the latter timed for the vibrant Mardi Gras festivities on March 1, 2025.
Celebrity Cruises is also getting ready to launch 20 new voyages from Port Canaveral aboard Celebrity Equinox. The 13-deck Celebrity Equinox, built in 2009, comes in at 122,000 tons and can accommodate 2,852 guests.
“We are thrilled to welcome Celebrity Cruises as our new partner,” said Captain John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO. Murray went on to describe how Celebrity Cruise sailings are in high demand, and, with Celebrity Equinox homeported in Port Canaveral, “there are great opportunities for even more cruise travelers to experience the cruise line’s high-quality experience while experiencing the comfort and ease of travel provided by our Port.”
Celebrity Equinox will be sailing out of the port from November 21, 2024 until April 19, 2025. Some destinations on the cruising menu include 7-night routes to the Bahamas, Belize, San Juan, St. Maarten, and other popular locales.
All in all, it seems Celebrity Cruises’ revamped Caribbean programs, beginning in winter 2024, will have a lot to offer cruise enthusiasts who love the Caribbean.
